Nigella's Chocolate Gingerbread

FOR THE CAKE

• 175g unsalted butter
• 125g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 200g golden syrup
• 200g black treacle or molasses
• One-quarter teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• One and one-quarter teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 eggs
• 250ml milk
• 275g plain flour
• 40g cocoa
• 175g chocolate chips

FOR THE ICING

• 250g icing sugar
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa
• 60ml ginger ale

Don't worry if you don't have golden syrup, runny honey works just as well. Also I used Lebkuchengewuerz (2 tbsp) instead of the spices.

I couldn't find chocolate chips, so I bought normal bars and with the help of two under fives and a rolling pin smashed them to pieces.


Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170C and tear off a big piece of baking parchment to line the bottom and sides of a roasting pan of approximately 30 x 20 x 5 cm deep.

In a decent-sized saucepan, melt the butter along with the sugars, golden syrup, treacle or molasses, cloves, cinnamon and ground ginger. In a cup dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the water. Take the saucepan off the heat and beat in the eggs, milk and bicarb in its water. Stir in the flour and cocoa and beat with a wooden spoon to mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, pour into the lined tin and bake for about 45 minutes until risen and firm. It will be slightly damp underneath the set top and that's the way you want it.

Remove to a wire rack and let cool in the tin. Once cool, get on with the icing.

Sieve the icing sugar. In a heavy-based saucepan heat the butter, cocoa and ginger ale. Once the butter's melted, whisk in the icing sugar. Lift the chocolate gingerbread out of the tin and unwrap the paper. Pour over the icing just to cover the top and cut into fat slabs when set.

Do not leave unattended.


Rinse off children. Clean up kitchen.